Concepts Flashcards
Southern Blot
+: Only way to identify some genomic rearrangements (F8)
-: Laborious, Expensive, Large amounts of DNA required
PCR
+: Versatile, can detect mutations directly or facilitate other methods
-: Is an amplification procedure; >1000kb is difficult
ASO Hybridization
+: Can detect single base-pair substitutions; can be parallelized, automated
-: Time Consuming
Allele-Specific PCR
+: Rapid, Can detect single-base substitutions
Multiplex-PCR
+: Rapidly identify large deleted regions
-: Not quantitative, will miss other mutations
MLPA
+: Rapidly Identify large deleted regions, Quantitative
-: Laborious design of probe pairs
FISH (BAC Probe)
+: Can detect large deleted regions and other chromosomal abnormalities
-: Time-consuming; poor resolution
CGH
+: Can identify large imbalances in genomic content
-: Can’t detect balanced rearrangements; poor resolution
DNA Sequencing (Sanger)
+: Can detect virtually any mutation, known or unknown
-: Expensive and very laborious on larger sequences
Allele Tracking
+: Allows genotyping of individuals without knowledge of mutation
-: requires a linked marker, and informative pedigree, and known phase
Wild Type
Polymorphism
Variant
Rare Variant
Wild Type: most common
Polymorphism: > 1% frequency in population
Variant: Change; may/may not be polymorphic or pathogenic
Rare Variant: <1% frequency in population
Mutagenesis
Process by which stable change in the genetic information of an organism occurs.
- Spontaneous Mutations occur for 1st time and are not inherited
- Mutagens increase rate of mutagenesis
- DNA repair increases mutation rate 100 fold
Mutation Types:
- Substitutions
- Deletions
- Insertions
Substitutions: Silent, Missense, Nonsense (null)
Deletions: Multiple of 3, Frameshift, Partial Deletion, Whole gene deletion
Insertion: Same as Deletions + Dynamic Mutation
Forward/Backward Slippage
Backward slippage: Synthesized strand increases (insertion)
Forward Slippage: Synthesized Strand decreases (deletion)
Backwards - Synthesized strand slips
Forwards - Template strand slips
Mode of Inheritance and Mutations
Recessive: Loss of Funciton
Dominant: Haploinsufficiency (null alleles), Dominant Negative (different missense mutations do not yield distinct phenotypes), Gain of Function (do yield distinct phenotypes)
LCRs of Hemoglobin
Embryonic DNA: Epsilon
Fetal: G-Gamma
Adult: Delta or Beta
Haploinsufficiency
Expression in one copy of a gene is insufficient. Loss of function in one gene will show dominant phenotype (complete penetrance)
Ex. TF, Porphyrias, Marfan Syndrome, Type 1 OI
Gain of Function Mutation
Increased or novel gene function (mutant protein synthesized) from Missense (usually), gene duplications, chromosomal translocations.
Different mutations in same gene results in different phenotypes.
Ex. TD1/2, Achondroplasia, Hypochondroplasia and the FGFR3 gene
Dominant Negative Mutation
Mutant gene product interferes with function of normal gene (usually from a missense mutation). Usually associated with structural proteins like collagen.
Ex. OI Type 2 or 3 (Better to have null than missense)
PTC
Premature Termination Codon
- causes RNA product to be degraded (results in Null mutation, NOT truncated protein product)